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Board approves free admission to county fair and authorizes snowmobile grant payments
Summary
The board approved a trial of free general admission to the Richland County Fair to increase attendance and reduce gate staffing burdens, and authorized payment of 2024-25 snowmobile maintenance grant bills routed through the county to two local clubs; the snowmobile funding comes from DNR registration and excise sources, not the county levy.
The Richland County Board voted on July 15 to allow free general admission to the county fair for the upcoming event while continuing to charge for grandstand events. Sponsors said the change aims to increase attendance, reduce gate staffing burdens and encourage more spending at vendor booths and grandstand events.
Public works committee members said the county typically nets $30,000 to $40,000 in a normal fair year from admissions and that a packed grandstand night such as the demolition derby can generate comparable revenue; the proposal is to try free admission and monitor whether increased attendance offsets gate receipts through higher on-site spending.
Separately, the board approved Resolution 25-59 to pay bills to the Richland County Snowmobile Alliance and the Hillsborough Trail Blazers under the 2024-25 snowmobile maintenance grant. Staff said the funds come from DNR-administered sources (registration dollars and recreational fuel excise) and do not affect the county tax levy. The county acts as an intermediary to move DNR funds to private clubs and to verify hours and maintenance for reimbursement.
The board made both decisions as part of a routine set of public-works items and asked staff to monitor outcomes, particularly the fair's revenue and volunteer staffing results if free admission is implemented.
